One of the things that has driven me crazy since we got Louis were the shower doors. They're plexiglass and no matter what we do, we get water stains on them that I can't get rid of them. And believe me, we've tried everything.

So, on one of my RV forums, someone was talking about cling for their window for privacy. Hmmm, that would probably work for shower doors as well.

It wasn't easy and it doesn't look perfect, but it looks better than water stains. Now I just have to hope that the steam of the bathroom doesn't cause it to fall down.

I still have two extra rolls, so if it stays up, I may consider doing the closet doors as well, since I hate all the mirrors in the bathroom. Think I'll wait a while before springing that idea on Dave :)

I've been wanting to post a few ideas that I had "borrowed" from other Rvers, and I finally remembered today to take pictures. Here are a few things that are not expensive or hard to do, but just make life a little easier.

I found these Command Hook jewelery hangers and they work great to hang my necklaces! I think the two outside ones are for something else, but they work great to hold my necklaces in place. Because they're hanging on wallpaper, I did have to use extra strong command tape, but it's still a great use of space.

This is the longer view of my jewelery hangers. That little space between the wall and the cornice turned out to be a perfect place. In front, is my lighthouse and my little bling box with my rings in it. The curtain is blowing because of the fresh breeze we're having today.

TOn the other side of the dresser is a lamp I found at Big Lots for $5.00 The lampshade matches the bedding perfectly, as does the picture.

Our stainless steel fridge is not magnetic, so I can't put my magnets up. I've missed being able to post my meal plans or honey do lists or even pictures, until I found these wonderful little Command clips. I found them at Target in the Command Hook section and they work great, even for the thinnest piece of paper.

We finally started on our bedroom makeover. We switched out our bedding for something lighter, added a lamp for ambient lighting, and brought in a few beachy decor items to change it up. Let us know what you think!

Every day that we spend in Louis, we love it more. We love all the storage and the way Monaco designed this rig for fulltimers.

We've all found our favorite spots, to include the dogs. The sleep number mattress is a dream. And I could rave for hours about my three pantries!

Having s washer and dryer has made life easier, as has the bath and a half. I never realized how much I missed my own bathroom. Even when the slides are in, we are still cozy and can move around and get things done. Having a full sized fridge/freezer is wonderful. And Dave loves having an icemaker.

Storage is at an all-time high. No more tubs full of stuff to move around, and open and closing them. We have room for everything in our cabinets and shelves.

The amount of counter space is also wonderful. I made things a little more homey by hanging curtains on all our big picture windows. We both love being able to sit in our chairs and look out the window.

I don't see us ever giving Louis up. He's everything we ever wanted in a rig. Enjoy the pictures!

With all the issues we had to deal with while living in our Coachmen Encounter, we both felt that we could no longer trust its safety and started searching for a used slightly more upscale MH. We found it in Louis. He is a 2008 Monaco Dynasty Renaissance (hence the name Louis for the Renaissance King). It was serendipitous that we found exactly what we had always wanted just when we were thinking of trading in.

Louis is 43 ft. He is a diesel pusher and has a bath and a half and three pantries! Did I mention - three pantries?? There is so much more space and storage in Louis than we've ever had. So many new things to learn and not break.

We're using this journey to Milton, FL as our shake down cruise. So far, we've found a couple of minor things that need repair, but that's to be expected in an eight year old coach. But nothing major. We had the opportunity this morning during torrential rains to check for water leaks and there were none.

Driving in Louis is a joy. Dave had no back or leg issues after driving for seven hours. All in all, we believe that this was meant to be!

Once we get settled into Florida for the winter, I will take pictures and post here.

We've been working on getting the coach to our specifications and ready to fulltime. Some things are not quite working as I wanted while other outside the box thinking have produced some great results.

First, one of my challenges was a lack of cutlery drawers. My drawers are not wide enough to store cutlery. And I'm OCD enough not to want my spoons and forks sitting out. Tried it. Wasn't happy. I knew I could use a plastic drawer set from WallyWorld, but I really wanted something a little more classy that could sit out. I found my solution quite by accident. We have our generic keurig coffeemaker. While looking for storage for keurig cups that could set out, I ran across these great red drawers for keurig cups. Each one has three drawers and a divider within each drawer. It was perfect for my silverware! And I got an extra one for my keurig cups. They stack easily and fit on the counter perfectly, allowing me to place my sugar container on top. Success!

Another modification I wanted to make was to put up a separation between the driving area and living area, especially in the heat of summer to keep out the heat from the front windshield. I found some great shower curtains that were lined and a tension rod long enough to go across the rig. I think it turned out nicely.

We took out the horrible jackknife sofa that was so uncomfortable and ordered two custom recliners from LAZ Boy. I hated spending all that money, but the slide out is very small and narrow and we had very little wiggle room to work with. Many thanks to Mike Richert at OnwardRV for making this happen for us!

Next, I added some decals to the walls to help personalize it. Gotta have my owls!

Moving on to the bathroom, I have owl accessories and towels, but I loved the look of these branch-like towel holders.

And finally the bedroom. In here, I used a softer blue color for peace and relaxation. I've always loved blue and brown together. There is no dresser space in here, so any personalization has to be done on the walls. So, on our one full wall, I hung a couple of prints. On the other walls and cabinets, I used decal frames to hang pictures of family and fun.

I still plan on hanging sheers off a tension rod on the big picture window, shown in the second picture here. Probably in a soft blue. And I need to make room in here for a clothes hamper, but that will be in a future post. I'm very pleased with the changes so far. Really feels like home! Stay tuned for more upgrades!

This first trip in Lulu gave us the opportunity to test her out and start to get organized. Everything had been found shoved into drawers and cabinets, and my OCD was in heaven as I found a place for everything. We love this new rig – everything in it, except for the sofa, is exactly what we wanted. It’s not a typical motorhome with a straight hall from front to back. Instead, it has a clear division of rooms that make it more home-like. We truly couldn’t be happier. Except for the sofa, which will be replaced eventually with a recliner loveseat.

Dave pulled out his fishing rod and worked on his rusty skills. Sage kept him company, as did a Mama duck with six little two-day old chicks. We watched them every day, as they learned to swim, walk and manage their everyday life of survival. We enjoyed watching them grown more confident with every step.

I fell in love with a bird I kept seeing. All black with a red wing. It drove me nuts until I finally looked it up. it’s called a red winged blackbird. Go figure. And I’m proud to say that, for once, I made it the entire trip without a single mosquito bite. Maybe I’m getting less sweet in my old age…

We met a great couple, Rod and Bonnie, who are both ex-military and have been full-timing for nine years. Bonnie is also a disabled vet and we had some great conversations about full-timing with a chronic illness. It’s nice to see that I’m not alone and that it can be done, with a lot of patience and some concessions on my part. They also gave us great ideas on road trips and places to see. They have been to see the largest ball of yarn in the world. They call it their -est trips – the longest, biggest, baddest in the land. Thanks to them, we’ve gotten some great books to get us started. Off the Beaten Path and 300 of the Country’s most scenic drives are two of them.

Sitting at a campfire every night and watching the sunsets are the most soothing way to end an evening. I felt so at peace and remembered what I loved about camping..ok, glamping. I love the smell of the fire, listening to it crackle, while Sage lays in her bed and we talk about the day. No stress, no worries, no demands. Just peace. I was happier than I’ve been in a long time.

So, not much to report on our Maiden Voyage, except that we know we made the right decision in purchasing Lulu. Even the driving is enjoyable, instead of the constant stress of towing a fifth wheel. For us, this was the right decision, and I know that we’ll be happy in Lulu for a long time to come. What did I learn this week? Home really is where your heart is.

Next stop, Hilton Head in June for a week. It’ll be Sage’s first time at the beach, so this should be fun. Stay tuned and thanks for sharing our voyage with us!